At Last!!!

[taterbugman]

I've been twiddling my thumbs the past few weeks waiting for my Johnson ma40 octave to get here. I know it's not a particularly high-grade instrument, but I'm loving the tone of it. What are some other people's experiences with this instrument?

[man dough nollij]

I had a Trinity College that I liked a lot (I think it's the same or a similar model...). It had a nice, narrow neck and short scale. It wasn't super loud, but I really liked the tone.

[kazbah_707]

Hi Taterbugman,

I'm the current owner of Lee's former TC-OM and I have to say I like it a lot, too.

I have made some changes to it, with mostly good success, so let me elaborate in case
you choose to go a similar route.

In summary, the three changes are:
heavier strings
cast tail-piece
pickup added

I was surprised when I received the OM at how floppy the strings were at pitch.
I knew I'd want to go heavier ASAP, but had concerns about whether the typical
stamped-tin (I think) tailpiece would hold up. Thanks to another Cafe member, I
was able to source an Allen Monteleone-style tailpiece for $40 - score.

I had a local luthier swap out the tailpieces. Next issue is that the Allen has a fixed
angle, one that seems designed more for a carved-top mando. On a flat-top, the luthier
felt that there was not going to be enough break angle for stability and transferring
sound/vibration to the top. He added a wooden spacer (about 2 nickels thick at the extreme end)
between the end of the body and the tailpiece to compensate. This seems to work fine.
Another advantage of the Allen tailpiece is that it also takes ball-end strings, so
experimenting with various gauges is much easier, since you can sub with guitar strings.

The strings on it when I received it were 12-22-32-44. I felt it had to at least go up to
13-24-35-48. My local store had no 48s, so I went with 49s. My two bandmates declared
the switch a significant improvement. I recently replaced the strings for a gig, and went
the next step = 14-25-36-50. I'm still happy at those gauges, but I may back down to the
middle values - I certainly won't go higher. Gotta have some jangle - that's why we play OMs!

Had a K&K Dual system fitted - this is two separate transducers, whose signals get merged,
if I understand correctly. So the transducers are behind the bridge, one on the bass and one
on the treble side. The good news is that they are excellent transducers, and if all I ever did
was strum, they'd provide yeoman service. The downside is that because they're so "hot", any
knock, brush etc. against the top or bridge leads to extraneous noise.

We have one song where I'm playing riffs, and normally rest my hand on the bridge - this led
to an unholy mess, all sorts of unwanted signal. We have another where I tap the top, similar
to what fiddle players often do in "Four-Poster Bed" (I think that's the tune). Another mess.
I don't want this to sound like I'm unhappy with the pickups - they're excellent pickups, but I just
didn't realize some of my "techniques" would need to be re-thought so much. I'll probably rely on
a combination of close-mic'ing and pickups going forward.

So, in summary, between initial purchase, Allen tailpiece, pickup & luthier work, I'm about $700
into this instrument - I regard it all as money very well spent. Enjoy yours!.

Alan

[Cape Cod Struggler]

I hope you don't run into the trouble both my friend and I had with our Johnson MA450's. The tops went south and began to collapse. I returned mine. He sold his. Both of us now own Trinity College instruments and are very happy with the sound and overall quality. Both of us have an older Korean made instruments.

BTW, to my knowledge the Johnson is not made by the same manufacturer as the Trinity College.

Good luck and enjoy but keep an eye on the top.

[taterbugman]

By top, you mean too much pressure on the bridge? How heavy were your strings?

[Cape Cod Struggler]

I don't believe it was due to string pressure as mine had the standard gauze strings. It was more of a question of poor design, top material and construction. If you look at the major on-line auction source ( e-something), you'll see lots of OM with collapsing tops being sold as "B stock' (factory blems) items. My advise is to stay away from them as they can NOT be fixed by inserting a sound post.

The Trinity College instruments don't have that problem, per se. I also have a Trinity College mandola (17 inch scale length) tuned higher to DAEB with med. mandolin strings which is rock solid as well. Both my TC's are older Korean made instruments and should have shown signs of collapsing by now - which they haven't.

My suggestion is to use the lightest strings possible and keep it tuned to GDAE.

The Johnson looks nice but a Trinity College is nicer overall in my opinion and has the classic Celtic look.

[Daithio]

I have a Johnson MA450 Octave. I like it well enough--it certainly holds its own in a session. I just have D'Addario OM strings on it. One of my session mates likes it well enough that he wants it when David Freshwater finally finishes the new octave he is making for me.